Review: Peter Pan – Ipswich Regent


The festive panto offering at the Ipswich Regent this year is Peter Pan, JM Barrie’s tale of the boy who never grew up.

In recent year’s the Regent productions have featured stars of the small screen and this year is no exeception with Pan, played by Disney Art Attack presenter Lloyd Warbey, former star of The Bill, Chris Ellison (he played DI Burnside) turns baddie as the boo and hissable Captain Hook determined to spoil Peter Pan’s fun.

I must say this has to be one of the best pantos I have seen at The Regent with some great musical numbers and a good script that will keep the youngsters amused and entertained as well as some amusing pieces that fly over the youngsters heads higher than Pan himself, but will make the adults smile.

It’s all good family escapist fun, it was great to hear the children around us, booing, cheering and gasping.

Smee, played by Andrew Fleming is a great comedy impressionist who holds things together. Other cast members include CBeebies’ The Rhyme Rocket Andrew Crawford and Joe Chambers as pirates Starkey and Noodler and Jenny Jones from CITV’s Hi-5 as Wendy Darling who turns in some great vocal solo numbers.

The thing though that will really amaze everyone is the flying sequences which make use of the whole auditiorium and that’s not just the stage area.

The production company responsible for the panto are Enchanted Entertainment and this company are a great find for The Regent who have definitely reinvigorated the theatre’s previous average pantos and turned them into something that Ipswich can be proud of.

Therefore it’s good to report the company will return next year with panto fairytale Cinderella.

– Mark Keable, Ipswich24 –

Peter Pan is at Ipswich Regent until 30th December, 2013

Box Office: 01473 433100